Lessons Learned from Hip-Hop's Business Leaders

Hey! I've had some really great conversations these past few months with the people taking hip-hop to the next level. Here are some highlights from some recent episodes of the Trapital Podcast.

Jonnyshipes, Cinematic Music Group

Shipes built Cinematic into an influential entertainment company that other record labels are trying to follow. He's worked with Smoke DZA, Nipsey Hussle, Joey Badass, and more.

In this episode, Shipes breaks down how he partners with major labels, helps artists build their careers, and more. Shipes also loves comedy. He recently signed comedian Druski, who blew up after Drake’s “Laugh Now, Cry Later” video. Druski and Shipes have a few things in the works which he goes more in depth with.

Tracy Chan, Twitch's VP Head of Music

Tracy breaks down how artists on Twitch are making money. The number of artists making $25,000 on Twitch has grown 16x since the pandemic started. For those making $50,000 or more, the median viewership is 183 fans. That’s wild! We talk about how artists use the platform, gaming culture’s influence, and where the creator economy is heading.

Tracy joined Twitch in 2020. He left Spotify where he launched Spotify for Artists, and worked at YouTube before that to help launch its creator platform. Tracy has seen the creator economy at every stage.

Phylicia Fant, Columbia Records

James Lindsay, Rap Snacks and BossUp Bank

James talked about his rise in the consumer packaged goods industry. Rap Snacks launched in 1994 and has partnered with artists like Migos, Cardi B, Trina, and Fabolous to sell snack chips. We talk about how Rap Snacks landed distribution space in Walmart, and how to navigate the snack food industry. We also talked about Boss Up Bank, the new bank he launched with Master P to reach underserved communities.

Lindsay also co-managed Meek Mill, so we talked about his experience there too.

Ted Lucas, Slip-N-Slide Records

Ted Lucas' Slip-N-Slide was home to Trick Daddy, Trina, Rick Ross, Plies, and many more. We talk about the early days when Ted had to pay major record labels for distribution! We also talk about why his label stayed independent, why his artists had major deals with other labels, and R&B’s role in modern music. We also talk about SuperFest, the music festival he runs in Miami, and his rising artists Sebastian Mikael and Teenear.

We also talk about Miami, its role in hip-hop and its role in tech, and all the VCs and tech folks moving to his city.

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These conversations and many more are all available on the Trapital Podcast. You can listen and subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Stitcher, YouTube, or wherever you get podcasts.

Have a great weekend!

Dan

P.S. - On Monday, I'm putting out my latest essay on the big three major record labels: Universal, Sony, and Warner, and how they are all fighting for your attention. Sign up here and I'll send it to you.